Free throws all the rage, and observations in a Nuggets win over the Clippers

Randy Foye rises up for the game-winning shot on Monday against the Clippers. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw could look at the stat sheet after a thrilling victory and lament 13 free throws missed â€“ but it was the ones his team made that helped lift them to victory.

The Nuggets made 16 of their 18 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter. It was in stark contrast to a season in which they have generally struggled from the charity stripe and a drastic positive turn of events in that game for the team, which went 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) in the first three quarters.

But hereâ€™s what happened in the fourth:

-Kenneth Faried went 4-for-4.

-Wilson Chandler went 4-for-4.

-J.J. Hickson went 3-for-4.

-Randy Foye went 1-for-2.

-Ty Lawson went 4-for-4.

â€śIt was huge,â€ť Faried said. â€śWe was getting fouled a lot. We went up to the free throw line with confidence and enthusiasm. It wasnâ€™t a burden. We just relaxed, got to the line, and everybody knocked them down. And we needed that tonight.â€ť

Quote of the Night. Randy Foye on what making the game-winning shot meant to him: “Nothing was as big as this shot tonight, for me, personally, in my career.”

Fariedâ€™s Best night? From a pure statistical standpoint, Kenneth Faried had the single best night of his basketball career in the win over the L.A. Clippers with a career-high 28 points with 11 rebounds.

Nuggets coach Brian Shaw saw it that way, too from his spot on the bench.

â€śYeah, especially considering the competition,â€ť Shaw said. â€śHe was up for playing against Blake Griffin. Just two physical guys that have supreme energy out there on the floor and he came ready to play. Thatâ€™s why he stayed on the floor for the minutes he was on the floor. He just brought it continuously. Tonight he was The Manimal. And thatâ€™s what we want to see every night.â€ť

And yet Faried called the game the second-best of his career.

â€śWhen we played against Golden State my rookie year,â€ť Faried said, â€śthat was one of my best games.â€ť

In fact that was Fariedâ€™s previous career-high â€“ a 27-point, 17-rebound game against the Warriors on April 9, 2012.

Ty’s return huge. Ty Lawson returned to the Nuggets lineup after missing two games due to a strained left rotator cuff. And in his return the starting point guard delivered 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

â€śWhen Ty came back, the emotion and the drive of our team came back,â€ť Kenneth Faried said. â€śWe needed that.â€ť

His coach, Brian Shaw, concurred.

â€śTy coming back tonight gave us a big shot in the arm,â€ť Shaw said. â€śJust his speed and his ability to attack and create things.â€ť

Numbers. After the Clippers held a 107-101 lead with 3:37 left, the Nuggets went on a 15-8 run to end the game. â€¦ The Nuggets picked up their seventh win this season when trailing by at least 10 points. â€¦ The Clippers suffered their first loss this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field (14-1). â€¦ The Nuggets have won 12 of their last 14 games against the Clippers.

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.